1st Edition
Trump @ Work Really Huge Lessons on Leadership, Believe Me
"Unprecedented" is the adjective most often ascribed to everything about Donald Trump. Trump @ Work is about the unprecedented impact that Donald Trump and his Presidency and style has had on attitudes and perceptions of leadership and management. This book brings a unique perspective about what has changed and what has not changed through humorous and true "bullets" and observations.
Why do some leaders get fired for things that other leaders boast about? In spite of controversy, why do some initiatives still get implemented? Is implementation all that matters? Is empathy and credibility still critical to success? Why aren’t there any instruction manuals about how to navigate the new workplace? These are not questions raised by just a few. These are questions everyone in the workplace is asking. Trump @ Work explores these questions and many more. It reveals how the rules of the game have changed for everyone seeking success or at least, to survive. It’s hard enough to keep up with leadership and management trends. Donald Trump is making it more difficult, not intentionally, not through the tweets he writes, but by how he is challenging the long existing norms. Who knew that tweeting would become an established way of communicating to an organization? Who knew that in spite of constant searing criticism, one can disregard it and continue to follow an agenda? Who knew that preaching to supporters and ignoring naysayers is a way to manage?
Whether you appreciate Donald Trump or not, he has had an impact on the thinking about leadership and management and the author precisely explores that impact in this book.
Introduction 1. Credibility – Hitting a Nerve 2. Execution – Just Fix It 3. Communications – Can It Be Too Much? 4. Hiring and Firing As A Blood Sport 5. About the Critics – Can They All Be Wrong? 6. Loyalty Is Just A Four Letter Word 7.Being Current and Doing Homework 8. Judgment Is In the Eye of the Beholder 9.Not Quite Right (NQR) – Really? 10. Personal Traits, Habits and Quirks 11. Making Deals Is An Art form 12. The Summary Epilogue
Biography
Richard A. Moran is a nationally known authority on leadership and workplace issues. He is a venture capitalist, former executive at software companies and a former Accenture partner where he worked in media and entertainment, communications and technology. His clients have included News Corporation, AT&T, Apple, Hewlett Packard, American Airlines and Oracle, to name a few. He is credited with creating the genre of "business bullet" books based on his sense that success in business is based on simplicity, not complexity. He is the Vice Chair and CEO at Accretive Solutions and serves as a director on several boards.
Moran’s previous books include: National Bestseller Never Confuse a Memo with Reality; Beware Those Who Ask for Feedback; Fear No Yellow Stickies; Cancel the Meetings, Keep the Doughnuts; and, Nuts, Bolts and Jolts. He has appeared on CNN, NPR, CNBC and in Fortune, the Financial Times and other media discussing change and leadership. His radio show "In the Workplace" runs weekly on KCBS. He is the President of Moran Manor & Vineyards and lives in San Francisco with his wife and four children.
"Rich Moran is the keenest observer of contemporary organizational life writing today, and Trump @ Work is Moran at his best -- witty, insightful, and provocative. It is a whack-on-the-side-of-the- head book that will make you think, and question, and sometimes go crazy. You may not agree with everything that Moran says -- I sure didn’t and he doesn’t expect it -- but I guarantee that reading this book will give you a whole new perspective on how leaders behave and why constituents respond the way they do."
- Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge; Executive Fellow, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University
"Rich Moran wrote the book I wish I had the courage to write. He casts a bright light on the many ways in which Trump challenges conventional management wisdom while doing things, albeit in an extreme fashion, that many other business leaders do. Just as political behavior will never be the same, so, after reading Moran’s insightful book, people’s ideas about leadership will be forever altered."
- Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and author of Leadership BS.
"Trump @ Work points out that leadership is complex, and the actions and style of Donald Trump's do not make it any simpler. This is a book that works hard to avoid judgment while showing that Trump has us wondering about the boundaries of effective leadership.Mostly, this is an insightful look into aspects of leadership that are not often front and center, making us re-examine what really works for leaders. Whether you like Trump or not, this is a great read."
- Stuart Kaplan, Leadership and Organization Advisor at Google
"Leadership activities, theory, or research is not new. But sometimes, a leader comes along who defies traditional activities and assumptions. Most either love him or loathe him, but few can deny that Donald Trump challenges traditional leadership thoughts and actions. Moran brilliantly captures these 'Trumpisms' and offers new and challenging ways to lead."
- Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Partner, the RBL Group
"Disruption is the word of the times and everyone wants a piece of it, including the American people. In his latest book, Moran shows that Donald Trump is disrupting widely held beliefs on leadership whether we like it or not. While Trump is disrupting leadership, Moran provides plenty of insights into what still matters."
- Markos Kounalakis, McClatchy foreign affairs columnist, and author of Trump Moves Fast and Breaks Things To Disrupt World
"Trump @ Work is not just a wake-up call, it’s a slap in the face for all of us who profess to understand leadership. Don’t’ read this book if you don’t like to be challenged, if you don’t like to be uncomfortable, and if you’re not willing to change. The lessons in Trump @ Work are now part of our knowledge base about people, management and leadership. The book shines a light on this new world order with lessons that can’t be ignored, whether we like it or not."
- Patty Rowland Burke, Innovation and Venture Catalyst, Center for Creative Leadership; Author, Beating the Odds: Winning Strategies of Women in STEM
